A New Life Through The Eyes Of Kanto: An Autobiography

Opening Statements Part 1 Of 2

Hot.

Uncomfortably hot.

I immediately knew it was the sun. My already closed eyes tightened against the burning glare on them and I turned my head in a failed attempt to get away from the annoyance. At once, I sat straight up, my eyes wide open, sweat running down my face.

It was time.

I hadn't fallen asleep until three that morning, but that didn't stop me from waking up at...

The electronic Pidgeotto clock I'd had since I was about five years old, sat on my dresser, revealing that it was six in the morning. I wasn't due to be at Prof. Oak's Lab for another three hours.

Stretching, I got out of bed, shaking with anticipation from my head down to my toes. I wasn't tired in the slightest and I certainly didn't want to risk being late. After all, today was a special day. An agreed upon day. A highly awaited moment in time for many kids around the world that I, having turned ten today, was about to start.

The time when I was finally allowed to become a Pokemon Trainer.

My knowledge in Pokemon was unmatched by any of my friends. I had been studying them since I was about three years old, reading books on them and watching the latest findings on TV from the great professors from all over the world. My favorites were the shows Prof. Oak had. Professor Oak's Pokemon Live Caster was one of them, and of course, I had to tune in to Professor Oak's Pokemon Talk with DJ Mary. I never thought DJ Mary was necessary at all. In fact, I found her outright annoying. I got lost in my thoughts as I took my shower, washed my hair, and brushed my teeth. Once fully dressed, I walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

It was so quiet. My mom wasn't even awake right now.

My mommy...

I worried about her often and was surprised she finally agreed to let her only child left go out on a Pokemon journey.

My sister, Melissa, had left to become a Pokemon Trainer, too. That was a year ago and she wasn't having the easiest time. The last I had heard about her, about a month ago, she had only three Badges, which is extremely minimal for the time frame she's had. She needed to defeat eight of the powerful Pokemon Trainers known as Gym Leaders in order to win their Badge and be allowed to compete in the Pokemon League, so she couldn't compete in the last one. Melissa wanted to quit several times during her journey and called home a lot, crying on the phone.

My mom had to snap her out of her depression and encourage her to continue. "You're not allowed back home until you're a Pokemon Master and have captured all one thousand Pokemon," my mom would say. She was only joking about not allowing my sister back home, of course, and me and Melissa knew it. But my mom very well may think there are one thousand Pokemon. Her knowledge on Pokemon is very minimal.

I, of course, know there are only around seven hundred or so confirmed species of Pokemon, but not a thousand!

What surprised me the most about my mom allowing me to leave home to be a Pokemon Trainer was that my dad had died two years ago. He went on a Pokemon journey, attempting to become stronger and better connected with his Pokemon. His intentions were to make a living off of it and gain notoriety for raising Pokemon and help put more food on the table for us. He sought to become so strong, he may have even earned the status of a Gym Leader. Or, he dared to state, an Elite Four member. I'm not sure how he died. My mom never discusses it. I only know that she misses him badly.

What bothered me was not understanding why my dad left in the first place, though. We live in the beautiful location of Pallet Town, in the same neighborhood as the legendary Prof. Oak, and while not rich, we live a fairly privileged enough life. Just how much better did he want it? I often think to myself that he was just selfish and greedy, seeking out more than was necessary. Other times, I think it was my mom who was partly responsible for him leaving. My mom can be a nail in the freaking head, often. He may have just wanted some peace from that. I know that if I wasn't becoming a Pokemon Trainer, I may have ran away myself by now. I also know that my mom was in love with him, and he loved her, too. They were so close, it made me puke. But I miss it now...